Skoda Octavia vs Toyota Corolla vs Hyundai Elantra vs Renault Fluence – Shootout

Shootout: Skoda Octavia vs Toyota Corolla vs Hyundai Elantra vs Renault Fluence

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. Rs. 16.24 – 18.02 lakhs (Renault Fluence), Rs. 15.28 – 19.58 lakhs (Hyundai Elantra), Rs. 14.28 – 20.18 lakhs (Toyota Corolla), Rs. 16.33 – 23.22 lakhs (Skoda Octavia)

The new Corolla seems impressive but its rivals are equally good on almost all aspects.

The D-segment is the most popular segment worldwide and a quick glance on the most selling cars list will show you that people the world over are mostly buying a car from this class. This undoubtedly proves the point that D-segment vehicles are well accomplished and thus putting them against one another can be quite a daunting task. Last time around, we pitted the new Skoda Octavia against the Volkswagen Jetta and Hyundai Elantra, the Czech vehicle won the accolades. This time around, there is tough rivalry from Japan, in the form of the all new, eleventh generation Corolla, a vehicle which looks very promising on all fronts, it’s a car which seems un-Toyota like with very little signs of evolution being visible.

The Hyundai Elantra has been the leader of this segment but can it hold onto its own against the massively impressive Toyota Corolla Altis. This is not the first time the Elantra is facing a head-on battle from the Corolla, in fact, in the early 2000s, there was cut throat competition between the Corolla, Elantra and Octavia, all cars being a couple of generations down than what we see today. Joining us from Europe is Renault’s Fluence, a vehicle which just doesn’t get the praise it deserves. With Honda discontinuing the Civic, Volkswagen planning to launch the mid-life facelift of the Jetta and GM already having unveiled the next generation Cruze, we had to keep this shootout to the four cars which are here to stay as it is.

Motor Quest: While Toyota first launched the Corolla way back in 1966, Hyundai only started making cars in 1967. Still the Elantra has won the North American car of the year and given the Altis a tough fight the world over, the first gen dates back to 1990. The Fluence is the newest car in terms of history with Renault first launching it in 2009. The Skoda Octavia is the only car here whose all generations have been sold in India, the current model is in its third generation.

The Octavia is a typical Skoda in design while the Fluence has really unique design cues unseen on cars here

Styling – A D-segment car should look the part and that’s where it is very difficult to choose one winner. All these four vehicles look distinctly different as all belong to different countries; Japan, Korea, France and Czech Republic. Thus with different countries of origin, their design also has a very different flavour. The Renault Fluence has a very unique identity, it’s nothing like any other car on the road, not even baring any resemblance to its siblings on sale in India. Meanwhile the car which carries forward design cues from other members of the family, is the Skoda Octavia. Remove the badges and a layman will confuse the vehicle to be some other Skoda, so no real striking identity but an appealing car none-the-less. Meanwhile the Octavia and Fluence are the only cars here which get LED daytime running lights.

This brings us to the two cars which stand out the most, the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla, all boiling down to what you like. The Corolla isn’t bland in appearance like Toyota’s are known for, gone is the boring styling seen on almost all the past ten generations of the car, the new one is Lexus inspired, baring a very striking exterior. The way the headlights merge into the grille and the Camry inspired rear, gives it quite the presence. Yet, the Elantra which is already three years old manages to gather as many stares, if not more. The Fluidic design language grows on you so well that it keeps impressing you every time you see it. While the Corolla is more about straight lines, the Elantra has the curves and is our pick in the design department.

Interiors – If the exteriors were vividly different, the interiors are no exception. Absolutely nothing seems common here, such a different design of the cabin but what makes things even more difficult for us is the fact that all cars are solidly put together, boasting of excellent quality, they even have generous room at the rear. So how do you choose the winner in the interior department? Not that difficult after all, as we simply compare various factors like features, best rear seat and the likes. In terms of dashboard design itself, the Fluence seems a bit basic in front of the others while the Octavia’s dashboard is simple yet elegant. The Elantra has a unique dashboard with a flowing design and multiple colours but we are quite impressed with the Corolla’s dash, it’s unlike what we have seen on a Japanese car. Flat like the good olden days, the Corolla brings simplicity and sophistication together.

Let’s look at the features offered on the top spec variants. All cars come with a reversing camera with the exception of the Fluence, which only makes do with parking sensors, however, it’s the only car here which has front parking sensors. All cars come with a manual curtain for the rear windshield, except the Elantra while the Fluence also offers the curtain for the rear windows. All cars come with keyless go and push button start, except the Skoda Octavia, where you rely on the key. The Fluence can be opened from any door with a touch of a button on the door handle while the Corolla automatically unlocks itself when you are near the car. All cars come with rear AC vents, except the Corolla, a shocking omission considering most Corolla buyers will take to the rear seat very often.

To boost the rear seat experience, the Elantra is the only car here which has audio controls on the rear seat arm rest, it also gets a power socket inside it with the Octavia being the only car which doesn’t have a rear power socket. The Fluence and Elantra get dual zone climate control systems, the Corolla uses a single zone while the Octavia doesn’t get a climate control system on the controls but in the touch-screen system, it also monitors the sun, air quality and humidity levels. The Corolla and Octavia are the only cars with a touch screen unit, while the Fluence and Elantra don’t even have a big enough display screen. Things start getting common between the European cars vs the Asian cars.

Like for instance, the European cars get one touch up and down for all power windows, the Asian vehicles don’t. Another similarity are front puddle lamps in the European cars (on the doors but the Octavia also gets them below the rearview mirrors). Yet another similar thing being a hump at the rear on the European cars, preventing a fifth passenger from sitting in, however the AC unit is too far ahead in the Elantra so a fifth passenger won’t be comfortable, more so because there is no headrest in the centre. Even the Octavia doesn’t get a fifth headrest but the Fluence does, but the centre hump, hard seats and arm rest padding prevent a fifth occupant from stepping inside the car.

This brings us to the crucial question, which car is the best for rear seat comfort. The Fluence doesn’t have as much space as the others while the Elantra which does boast of excellent seat padding which is comforting to the back, has the seat placed a bit low. The Octavia has good space at the rear but the rear bench is too upright, however, you can access the boot by flipping a button behind the arm rest. Still, it’s the Corolla which offers the best rear seat experience with its soft seats, recline function, good legroom, no centre hump, fifth headrest and three rows of roof lights, the only missing piece being the rear AC vents. While at the front, it’s the Elantra’s seats which feel the best, there is also a ventilated cooling function which works well to relax you in hot conditions. All cars also get projector headlights, only the Elantra doesn’t.

The Renault Fluence has very unconventional and quirky controls which takes time to get used to. Besides, its audio system isn’t as impressive as the ones on other cars. The Elantra’s biggest gripe is that the audio system doesn’t let you change songs when you have connected it to your music device via Bluetooth. The Hyundai also doesn’t have auto locking doors. In the Corolla, you can access your complete music library, even browse folders to select songs, which is super cool. Still, it’s the Octavia’s audio system which is the best here, while you can’t browse folders, the touch screen is super slick and the attention to detail is so massive that there is also an option to safely remove a USB or SD card (you can also choose between QWERTY and ABC keyboards).

The Skoda also has the best instrument cluster with a lot of data being displayed, others are cool in their own way like the Fluence has a digital speedometer (no analogue here but also shows fuel used, while only the Octavia gives you the option of seeing the speedo in digital on the multi-information display). The Octavia is also the most loaded car, it’s the only car here with a sunroof and there is tyre pressure monitoring as well. Even the rear seat armrest’s cupholders are adjustable. The Fluence gets 60:40 rear seat split for boosting practicality but the Octavia’s boot just annihilates everyone here, it’s super big compared to others.

All cars get electric driver seat adjustment, cruise control and automatic headlights. The Corolla, Octavia and Fluence also get rain sensing automatic wipers (only the Fluence uses a single blade, others use a double blade). When you turn off the cars, the Octavia and Fluence automatically retract their rearview mirrors. While all cars have conventional keys, the Fluence has a credit card type key, neat but too large to carry. The Corolla’s key feels cheap and doesn’t justify the price tag of the vehicle. Still, if you want features, it’s the Octavia and Elantra which are close but in terms of rear seat space, the Corolla is on the top. Where the Corolla loses out big time is safety equipment, it’s the only car here which doesn’t get traction control. While Renault offers 4 airbags, Skoda and Hyundai offer 6 airbags but Toyota only offers 2 airbags.

Performance – The Renault Fluence is only offered with a diesel engine, so if petrol is what you are looking at, you have four engine choices, since Skoda offers the Octavia with two turbocharged petrol mills. The 1.8 TSI engined Octavia (180 PS) is in a league of its own and if you have the budget, then there is nothing that even comes close to the performance of this car. The 1.4 TSI engined Octavia produces 140 PS, which is the same as the Corolla but belts out much more torque (250 Nm vs 173 Nm), that too at lower RPM. The Elantra’s petrol mill is good enough for 150 PS and 181 Nm, you do have to rev the nuts off it to really get going. All these cars are offered with manual and automatic gearbox options. Skoda offers a 6-speed manual on the 1.4 TSI and a 7-speed DSG on the 1.8 TSI. Meanwhile Toyota offers a 7-speed CVT and 6-speed manual, and Hyundai offers a 6-speed on both the manual and automatic transmissions. The Corolla is the only car here which comes with paddle shifts and the omission of the same on the Octavia is surprising, more so on the fire-breathing 1.8 TSI.

In terms of performance of these petrol cars, the Elantra is the least impressive while the Octavia is the quickest. However, in spite of the Octavia being the fastest here, it doesn’t sound as smooth as the Corolla which sings its own Japanese tune near the redline. With the diesels, the gap between performance of these cars widens even further. The Corolla is the least powerful here, it also has the smallest engine (same one used on the Etios but with a VGT). Producing a shockingly low 88 PS of power and 205 Nm of torque, the Corolla diesel’s output, size and pricing are a mismatch. This engine might be frugal but it just lacks the punch you would expect in a D-segment car. Then there is the Fluence, which uses a 1.5-litre unit with 110 PS and 240 Nm on offer, still not very quick but much better than the Corolla in terms of performance.

The Elantra on the other hand produces 128 PS and 260 Nm from its 1.6-litre engine, performance being significantly better than the other two. The best diesel engine is without doubt the 2.0-litre TDI powertrain in the Octavia, it belts out 143 PS and 320 Nm. This same mill also does duty on VW and Audi cars, with the latter using it to power the A4, A6, Q3 and Q5 vehicles. The diesel powered Octavia is the fastest here and never feels lacking in power, a feeling often felt in the other cars here. While Toyota and Renault offer the Corolla Altis and Fluence respectively with a 6-speed manual gearbox only, Hyundai and Skoda offer the option of both a manual and an automatic.

Hyundai pairs a 6-speed manual and automatic to the diesel Elantra while Skoda also does the same, its automatic tranny being the fantastic DSG unit. Skoda also wins top honours for the clutch (in case of manual) and gearbox (both in case of manual and automatic) in the Octavia, no matter which engine is under consideration. In terms of efficiency, the Octavia 1.4 TSI is the most frugal when it comes to petrol engines while the Corolla is the most efficient in terms of diesel, the Fluence not being far behind. NVH levels in all cars is good, the Fluence is a bit louder than the rest but not much to differentiate each of these vehicles in the sound department.

Driving Dynamics – European cars are known for being dynamically rich and that’s quite the case here too. Not only do the Skoda Octavia and Renault Fluence handle better than the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra, they also ride and brake better. The Elantra scores the least marks in this department, it simply doesn’t handle as well as the others with even the Corolla being significantly better than the Korean. The steering feel in the Elantra isn’t as rich as that on the Corolla, it’s too light at low speed but weighs up only decently at high speeds. The Corolla comes third in the driving dynamics department and matching the Fluence or Octavia is just far fetched.

The Corolla’s steering doesn’t feel too light at low speeds, nor does it feel too heavy at high speeds. The vehicle does have that typical Japanese light-ness attached to it and while the Corolla and Elantra are stable at speed, they simply can’t hold a candle to the tank like feel from the Europeans. The ride quality is good on the Corolla but not as good as what’s on offer by the Fluence or Octavia, with the Skoda not only being the most fun to drive but also the most stable at speed. The surprise package is of course the Fluence, a car which is so dynamically potent but very few know about it. Both these European cars inspire confidence when you push hard but the ride quality is better on the Fluence (Skoda equips the 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TDI versions with a cheaper torsion beam rear suspension) but in terms of steering feel, handling and overall driving dynamics, the Octavia emerges on top. It also has the strongest brakes here.

Verdict – Four very competent cars but by now we all know who emerged on top. When seen in isolation, all these cars perform very well but when put in an intense battle with key rivals, bad points get severely amplified. Sure, buying all of these cars won’t make you go wrong, the Fluence has a distinct persona, the Corolla has the Toyota quality and resale, the Elantra has the value while the Skoda has the performance and dynamics. The problem is more to do with perception. The Toyota Corolla has been a top seller the world over and people often say that it fares high on quality and is extremely reliable, this is no longer an advantage as competitions have caught up and it’s now a level playing field, we simply can’t say if you want a reliable and quality car, buy a Corolla because even the Elantra is equally good on quality, being as reliable.

So while the Renault Fluence finishes last because of its lack of features and only one single engine-gearbox combo, it’s still a fine car if you are not value conscious. The Toyota Corolla comes third, it’s again a very accomplished car, the latest iteration is a move in the right direction but the diesel engine really messes up the equation, a 89 PS motor in a 20 lakh car? The diesel powered Corolla isn’t offered in VL trim, the max variant is the GL, so you mainly miss out on cruise control and navigation. Still, the Corolla doesn’t get rear AC vents, side airbags and traction control. With more features on offer along with a more powerful diesel engine, the top-end diesel Elantra (manual) is a whopping Rs. 1.80 lakhs cheaper (1.43 lakhs between the petrols) than the Corolla, this Hyundai spells value for money like nothing else in the segment, helping it secure the second spot. Still, if money no bar, the Skoda Octavia is the car to buy, it sure is expensive with the price difference between the top-end Octavia and Elantra being Rs. 3.64 lakhs. Just like before, the Skoda Octavia continues to rule the D-segment.

While the Hyundai Elantra plays the value for money card very well to emerge as the runner up, the Skoda Octavia continues to wow you over with its splendid package of performance, dynamics and almost everything else, the only thing going against it, is its price. The Corolla can no longer play its Toyota card and omission of safety features along with a lacklustre diesel engine hamper its chances of victory drastically.

Further Reading –

2014 Skoda Octavia Review
Hyundai Elantra Review
2014 Toyota Corolla Review
2014 Renault Fluence Review
Skoda Octavia vs Volkswagen Jetta vs Hyundai Elantra